The constituency, covering the tehsil Jalalpur Pirwala, has remained in the limelight because Ahmed Mujtaba Gilani, the younger brother of Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, was contesting the polls on the PPP ticket while the PML-N had chosen Naghma as its candidate.
Police and Rescue 1122 sources said at least five persons were injured in the clashes. Despite the fact that Punjab is being ruled by the PML-N, its mainstream leaders like Senior Adviser to the Chief Minister Sardar Zulfiqar Ali Khosa and provincial Law Minister Rana Sanaullah kept complaining that the elections were being rigged by the PPP.
“It’s amazing. Even our (Punjab) police are taking their (federal government) side in rigging the elections,” Sardar Zulfiqar Ali Khosa observed while talking to the journalists.
The PML-N had awarded ticket to Naghma, previously a PML-Q MPA, who had vacated the seat over the issue of fake degree. Both the parties had sent their heavyweights to Jalalpur Pirwala to win public support as over a dozen provincial and federal ministers along with the heads of many provincial and federal departments are in the area for the last two weeks.The election commission had appointed 766 staffers to conduct the polls at 112 polling stations with 327 polling booths while the total number of voters is 160,348. It is alleged that the two sons of the prime minister, Abdul Qadir Gilani and Moosa Gilani, forcibly entered into a polling station in Janoobi Lar area and snatched the ballot box from the female presiding officer, Zakia Bibi. Witnesses said when the PML-N polling agent, Bilal, resisted the attempt, the PPP workers kidnapped him and took to him away to the Gharib Nawaz Cotton Factory.Similarly, former provincial minister Rana Qasim Noon, another supporter of Mujtaba Gillani, forced his entry into Polling Station No-97 and snatched seven copies of ballot papers. Talking to the media persons, Rana Sanaullah alleged that Abdul Qadir Gilani forcibly entered polling stations and rigged the elections, adding that his supports shot injured some PML-N workers.He accused the PPP of ‘violating all moral and legal norms’ and said his party voters were being sent back despite possessing genuine NICs while PPP voters were casting votes on fake cards.
“They (PPP) have committed maximum violence because of the fear of defeat while we have exhibited utmost restraint. We have had enough. Now we’ll not stick to the same restraint strategy,” he warned.
On the other hand, violence was also reported from PP-240 where the PML-N candidate was challenged by the independent aspirants only, as the PPP did not field its candidate because the PML-N had won the seat in 2008 elections.Poor arrangements, slow polling, alleged rigging, aerial firing and regular scuffles between the supporters of the two main contestants were the salient features of the by-poll in Dera Ghazi Khan.Police, deployed at the number of polling stations, were helpless as irrelevant persons entered the polling stations regularly while polling was stopped at 12 twelve polling station repeatedly.
Meanwhile, PML-Q MNA Khawaja Shiraz Mehmood has accused the district administration and the police of acting as a party and said they did not respond despite the repeated complaints about the rigging by the rival group.Talking to media at Taunsa Sharif, Shiraz said it had been decided to deploy Rangers but the execution of the orders was stopped at the eleventh hour to accommodate the official candidate. He also expressed his surprise over 90 per cent voting in the tribal area with scattered population and 40 per cent turnout in the thickly populated settled areas. On the other hand, Qaisrani has termed the results as the success of poor classes and rejected the charges of rigging.
Dozens of activists of PPP & PML-N were injured in a clash and firing in PP-206 (Jalapur Pirwala) where Prime Minister's younger brother Syed Ahmed Mujtaba Gilani was contesting against PML-N's Begum Naghma Mushtaq Ex-MPA and in PP-240 (Taunsa Sharif) where Mir Badshah Khan Qaiserani and Salahuddin Akbar.Polling remained suspended for two hours on Police station Nos 69, 75, TMA-1 and 2 after cross firing between the rival groups. Rangers were patrolling in these areas to avert any eventuality.Though Election Commission of Pakistan had forbidden the visit of federal as well as provincial ministers in these constituencies but they were freely doing theirbusiness.Begum Naghma Mushtaq has complained that her supporters were kidnapped and five persons were injured by Prime Minister's son Abdul Qadar Gilani and others.She further said that Prime Minister's brother and sons were involved in rigging. Sardar Zulfikar Ali Khan Khosa senior advisor to Chief Minister alleged that we had seized two bags packed with National Identity cards from NADRA office which were parepared overnight to ensure the victory of prime minister's brother in bypoll.Turnout at the polling station was far better than other constituencies as long queues of voters were witnessed since morning. Security was tightened in PP-206, Jalalpur Pirwala and PP-240 Dera Ghazi Khan to avoid any untoward incident. The election commission had declared 27 polling stations sensitive from the total polling stations 112 .
In Dera Ghazi Khan constituency PP-240, 32 polling stations had declared sensitive and around 2000 policemen had deployed in the area. The constituency of PP-206 Jalalpur fell vacant when the elected candidate of PML-Q Naghma Mushtaq tendered resignation from the candidature when a case was filed against her of having a fake degree. A neck-to-neck contest was expected at PP-206 Jalapur Multan between the PML-N candidate Nagma Mushtaq and PPP candidate Ahmad Mujtaba Gilani, brother of the Prime Minister of Pakistan. At PP-206 some 12 candidates are contesting bye-election and 19 polling stations were declared sensitive in the constituency.
On the other hand in PP-240 D.G. Khan strict competition is expected between the independent candidate Khawja Salahuddin and the candidate of PML-N Mir Badshah Qasrani while 35 polling stations were declared sensitive.
Sources said that extra contingents of police and rangers were sent to the sensitive areas in both the constituencies.
